Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
A Semi-Analytical Theory for Improved Orbit Design of the GARATÉA-L
Luiz Arthur Gagg Filho and Sandro da Silva Fernandes
This work proposes a semi-analytical theory for improving orbit design of the GARATÉA-L Brazilian lunar mission. The dynamical model incorporates the lunar gravitational potential up to degree 12 and order 3 harmonics and a third-body perturbation model accounting for the eccentricity and inclination of the Earth's orbit with respect to the Moon. Through Hori's method, short- and medium-period terms are eliminated from the
Hamiltonian to derive a first-order theory in mean orbital elements. It is demonstrated that nominal frozen orbits designed under simplified circular and equatorial assumptions for the motion of the third body are not maintained in this more realistic dynamical environment, leading to significant eccentricity growth and potential collisions of the probe with the lunar surface. The inclusion of the third body's inclination and eccentricity breaks the system's axial
symmetry, introducing the longitude of the ascending node into the double-averaged variational equations and rendering stationary frozen orbits practically unattainable. Consequently, the problem is addressed through a parametric study around the simplified model's frozen conditions to identify “low-drift" states where eccentricity variations are highly decreased. A new nominal orbit is proposed for GARATÉA-L. Numerical validation against high-fidelity propagation and JPL ephemeris confirms that this new configuration maintains the “low-drift" behaviour throughout the mission, ensuring orbital safety and avoiding the collision predicted by simpler models.
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Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
A stochastic forward model for the intergalactic dispersion-measure distribution of Fast Radio Bursts
Jéferson A. S. Fortunato, Valerio Marra, Wiliam S. Hipólito-Ricaldi et al. (+1 more)
Fast
Radio Bursts probe ionised
baryons through their observed dispersion measures. We present \turbofrb, a semi-analytic
stochastic forward model for the intergalactic dispersion-measure distribution, $P({\rm DM}_{\rm IGM}\mid z)$, that resolves the diffuse IGM,
halo, and filament contributions as explicit physical channels, with the
halo and filament encounter rates coupled by a latent line-of-sight environmental variable. Only four effective parameters are calibrated against hydrodynamical ray-traced IllustrisTNG
benchmark. The model matches the
benchmark mean DM to the percent level and yields a per-
redshift Jensen-Shannon divergence of at most $5\times10^{-3}$ across $z = 0.5$-$2.5$. The per-sightline channel decomposition makes explicit what closed-form parametric descriptions cannot show: the diffuse IGM sets the body of the distribution, while
halos and filaments populate the high-DM tail. Applied to representative localised FRBs, the forward likelihood quantifies host-excess events independently of their astrophysical signatures and recovers the injected $H_0$ within $1\sigma$ in a closed-loop consistency test. The \turbofrb package is available at \href{https://github.com/jefersonfortunato/turbofrb}{github.com/jefersonfortunato/turbofrb}.
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All authors Jéferson A. S. Fortunato, Valerio Marra, Wiliam S. Hipólito-Ricaldi, Amanda Weltman
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Revisiting neutrino event epochs for the blazar PKS 0735+178 with TESS
Shubham Kishore, Alok C. Gupta and Debanjan Bose
We present here the results of the optical light curve variability analysis of the blazars PKS 0735+178, in weeks-scale
flare state, observed in three sectors with the Transiting
Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The TESS observations in this study coincide with a well-known
neutrino emission phase detected with four different
neutrino observatories at multiple epochs in a narrow time window. We segmented the rising and decaying parts of the
flare and individually analyzed their flux distribution, excess variance, variability timescale, and the power spectral density (PSD). The source displayed an elevated excess variance of ~25%, with a multi-modal flux distribution (coherent in the rising and distorted in the decaying phase). The variability timescale analysis highlights a much faster decay than the rising scale, and the PSDs depict a nominal change in the power spectral slope. We discuss a likely connection in the optical variations and the
neutrino events, and briefly explain a possible physical scenario for the observed optical flux behavior in view of previously discovered
radio-band results.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
SST-1M: Recent results and prospects for observation of the Galactic Center region
Jakub Juryšek and for the SST-1M Collaboration
The
Galactic Center is a crowded region containing powerful particle accelerators and objects producing non-thermal radiation, including the diffuse very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray component known as the `Ridge', whose hard spectrum suggests particle acceleration up to PeV energies. The relevant processes can be tested, and the source parameters can be constrained via Cherenkov
telescope observations. Two Single-Mirror Small-Size Cherenkov
Telescopes (SST-1M) are currently operated in stereoscopic mode at the Ondřejov Observatory. Their future relocation is being considered, including a site with excellent visibility of the
Galactic Center. We present recent observations demonstrating SST-1M capabilities for detecting extended emission and discuss prospects for probing the
Galactic Center region, including searches for a spectral cut-off above 10 TeV. We show that the large field-of-view and good VHE sensitivity make SST-1M an ideal instrument for the search for PeVatrons.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Complex morphology and kinematics at the heart of the very low luminosity object IRAM 04191+1522
N. Otten, I. de Gregorio-Monsalvo, N. Huélamo et al. (+3 more)
The formation of the majority of brown
dwarfs (BDs) remains uncertain. They may form in molecular cloud cores in a process akin to low mass
star formation, or via fragmentation in circumstellar discs. Studying the youngest, most embedded sources is crucial for distinguishing these scenarios. We investigate molecular gas morphology and kinematics around one young & embedded very low luminosity object (VeLLO), IRAM 04191+1522, utilising archival ALMA observations of 13CO, C18O, and SO. We trace gas on scales of a few 10s to 100s of au around the source to search for outflowing and/or infalling structures. The red and blueshifted 13CO (3-2) emission show distinct morphologies and kinematics. The blueshifted emission to the north-west may trace shocked material oriented differently from the previously reported approx. 0.1 pc CO
outflow. Redshifted emission mainly to the south-east and south-west may trace the base of an
outflow cavity. The position angle of this cavity suggests the presence of a second
outflow, which supports the possible binary nature of this VeLLO. The C18O (2-1) emission is highly complex, comprising structures at different spatial scales and distances from the source. These may trace a mix of molecular
outflow,
outflow cavity, and disc emission. SO 65-54 reveals evidence for anticlockwise rotation around the central source, together with a northern structure of uncertain origin. We have identified a complex set of 13CO (3-2) and C18O (2-1) structures alongside evidence of a new
outflow cavity at a distinct position angle from previously detected
outflows. This supports the scenario that IRAM 04191+1522 is a binary system. The northern SO gas structure remains unexplained. Higher spectral resolution observations at intermediate scales are needed to characterise these substructures, their connection to larger scale structures, and to determine this system's final fate.
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All authors N. Otten, I. de Gregorio-Monsalvo, N. Huélamo, E. Artur de la Villarmois, G. Blazquez Calero, E. Whelan
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
The PANSY Meteor Head-echo Orbit Catalogue: Continuous Antarctic Radar Observations of Southern Meteoroid Streams
Juha Vierinen, Jorge L. Chau, Koji Nishimura et al. (+7 more)
Meteor head echoes from high-power, large-aperture radars provide pulse-resolved positions and velocities for individual micrometeoroids in a submillimeter-radius range that contribute significantly to the mass influx to Earth. We present the first meteor head-echo orbit catalogue from the Antarctic Syowa Mesosphere–Stratosphere–Troposphere/Incoherent Scatter radar (PANSY). The catalogue contains two million meteors and 50 million pulse-resolved measurements. The observed radiant distribution contains the helion, antihelion, south toroidal and apex sources, and provides unprecedented head-echo coverage of southern ecliptic latitudes. The initial detection-height distribution is found to be double-banded, with both bands increasing in height with meteor speed and exhibiting distinct radiant distributions, consistent with a mixture of meteoroid-size differences and differential ablation. Estimation of dynamic mass indicates that the survey is sensitive to initial radii of approximately 100 micrometers. As part of an initial exploration of the catalogue, we investigate the nighttime alpha Capricornids (CAP) and the extended Daytime Capricornids-Sagittariids (DCS) radiant. Their similar activity durations at opposite nodes are consistent with membership in the CAP–169P/NEAT complex. The radiant distribution suggests a new meteor shower candidate, with peak flux near
solar longitude 110 degrees, mean Sun-centered ecliptic radiant longitude 291.0 degrees, latitude -48.2 degrees, and geocentric speed 48.7 km s^{-1}. During catalogue production, event-level raw voltage cuts are retained temporarily to support improvements in data analysis. This first catalogue release, covering 2025 January 26 to 2026 July 26, will be useful for further studies of the southern-hemisphere Earth-crossing meteoroid population.
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All authors Juha Vierinen, Jorge L. Chau, Koji Nishimura, Taishi Hashimoto, Nico Pfeffer, Daniel Kastinen, Devin R. Huyghebaert, Johan Kero, Masaki Tsutsumi, Kaoru Sato
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Dianoga simulations of galaxy clusters and groups: Properties of the baryonic components
Stefano Borgani, Alice Damiano, Elena Rasia et al. (+12 more)
We introduce the Dianoga set of cosmological simulations of
galaxy clusters and groups, specifically aimed at studying the impact of the implementation of AGN feedback and
star formation. Using the OpenGadget3 code, we carry out simulations of 28 regions centred on massive
galaxy clusters, and of a cosmological box. This generates a sample of 293
halos with M_{200}> 1.5 x 10^{13} M_{\odot}. Parameters of AGN feedback in the reference implementation were minimally calibrated exclusively to match the local relation between SMBH masses and
stellar masses of host
galaxies. Simulations are compared to observed
galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF),
stellar mass fraction in clusters and groups, BCG masses, scaling relations between ICM/IGM properties and profiles of their thermodynamical properties. In the appendix, we show how results vary as we modify the reference feedback model in six alternative configurations. Our reference model predicts a GSMF in general agreement with observations, albeit overestimated in the high end. BCG
stellar masses and mass fractions are higher than observed in massive clusters, while being closer to observations for groups. Predicted properties of the ICM/IGM are in general agreement with observations, with the core regions of simulated clusters having
entropy and temperature profiles that are slightly less "cool-cored" than observed. A comparison with other implementations of AGN feedback highlights that models including thermal evaporation of the sub-resolution interstellar medium succeed to bring BCG masses and
stellar mass fractions closer to observation, and to increase the cool-coreness of simulated clusters. Our results demonstrate that the details of the interface between AGN energy injection and the sub-resolution interstellar medium model are at least as critical as the total feedback efficiency itself.
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All authors Stefano Borgani, Alice Damiano, Elena Rasia, Tiago Castro, Michela Esposito, Ilaria Marini, Giuseppe Murante, Milena Valentini, Veronica Biffi, Klaus Dolag, Gian Luigi Granato, Antonio Ragagnin, Cinthia Ragone-Figueroa, Alex Saro, Luca Tornatore
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
NMMA-Astro-COLIBRI: An Automated Light-Curve Supernovae Classification Service in the Multi-Survey Era
R. Weizmann Kiendrebeogo, Bernardo Cornejo Avila, Sofia Bisero et al. (+6 more)
The surge in publicly available photometric alerts from wide-field surveys requires automated tools for real-time transient classification. We present NMMA–Astro-COLIBRI, an on-demand
Bayesian classification service that couples the
Nuclear-physics and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (NMMA) inference framework to the Astro-COLIBRI real-time multi-messenger platform. After the detection of an optical transient, if photometry is available, it is quality-filtered. The filtered photometry is fitted by nested sampling against a user-selected model from a library of eleven
supernova templates; results are delivered to every user within minutes. Applying two or more models on the same optical transient, the service reports the corresponding log Bayes factors as a quantitative ranking of competing subtypes. We demonstrate the workflow on SN 2021ugl (ZTF21abotose), a Type IIb
supernova initially mistaken for a kilonova candidate by automated real-time pipelines, comparing competing
supernova and kilonova models. In an early-time configuration using only the first ~ 6 days of photometry in two bands (ZTF g and r), so ten days before spectroscopic confirmation, the empirical Type IIb template recovers the correct classification, favored over both the kilonova template and the kilonova-mimicking shock-cooling model. In the full 47-day, three-band baseline, it again achieves the highest evidence over every competing
supernova and kilonova template. These results highlight the importance of a comprehensive
supernova template library for kilonova discrimination in the multi-survey era.
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All authors R. Weizmann Kiendrebeogo, Bernardo Cornejo Avila, Sofia Bisero, Maxime Cellier, Antoine Ciric, Ilja Jaroschewski, Henrik Rose, Alexandre Saint-Paul, Fabian Schüssler
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
From Variability to SED Modeling: A Multiwavelength Study of the Neutrino Blazar TXS 0506+056
Shiyu Du, Hanxiao Xia, Jianghua Wu et al. (+1 more)
The blazar TXS 0506+056 is the first source that was reported to be associated with high-energy extragalactic
neutrino events and is one of the major targets for multi-messenger studies. We carried out multi-wavelength optical monitoring of this object on 24 nights in the period from 2018 to 2023. The overall light curves exhibit a dimming trend superposed by some small-amplitude fluctuations, and intraday variability was detected on four nights. Bluer-when-brighter behaviors were observed on both intraday and long timescales and were more pronounced on long timescales, while a weak redder-when-brighter trend was detected on one night. No significant time lags were found between variations at different optical wavelengths. We also retrieved the multi-broadband data from some monitoring programs. The data reveal complex, asynchronous flaring in different wavebands. A cross-correlation analysis shows that the high-energy emission (optical to gamma-ray) is co-spatial and leads the
radio emission by a substantial time of about 800 to 900 days, suggesting that the
radio emission originates from a downstream region of the jet. We performed time-dependent lepto-hadronic modeling of the spectral energy distributions for three representative epochs, the 2017
neutrino-associated
flare, a post-
flare phase, and a deep quiescent state, revealing an
evolution in the radiative properties of the emission regions. The modeling results provide a phenomenological framework for interpreting the long-term multiwavelength behavior of TXS 0506+056 in a multi-messenger context.
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All authors Shiyu Du, Hanxiao Xia, Jianghua Wu, Yue Fang
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Modelling mountains on accreting magnetized neutron stars
T. Brusco, B. Haskell, M. Razzano et al. (+2 more)
Continuous gravitational waves from accreting
neutron stars in Low Mass X-ray Binaries are one of the main targets for current and next generation ground based detectors. In order to select the most promising astrophysical sources, however, reliable predictions for the signals are required, and it is therefore necessary to develop models that consistently account for the combined effects of
magnetic stresses,
accretion-induced heating, and the elastic response of the crust.}{We present a model for computing the quadrupolar deformation, incorporating for the first time the coupled effects of a poloidal
magnetic field, deep crustal heating, and crustal elasticity. Perturbations to the
star's structure driven by the Lorentz force density and by thermally-induced density variations are computed by solving a system of linearised deformation equations in the crust, for which we consider the full elastic response, while the ocean and core treated as barotropic fluids. We identify a threshold
accretion rate whose value depends on crustal microphysics and the superfluid gaps in the core, above which
magnetic stresses and asymmetric
accretion drive deformations of opposite sign, while below this threshold their roles are reversed. The predicted eccentricities reach magnitudes up to $\varepsilon\sim 10^{-11}$, corresponding to characteristic gravitational-wave strains accessible to next-generation detectors such as the Einstein
Telescope or
Cosmic Explorer, but generally below the sensitivity of current LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA interferometers. These results are consistent with the non-detection of continuous gravitational waves from accreting
neutron stars in Low Mass X-ray Binaries in recent observational campaigns, but highlight the need of reliable models to understand the impact of gravitational wave emission in these systems and select relevant targets for future searches.
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All authors T. Brusco, B. Haskell, M. Razzano, M. Bejger, J.L. Zdunik
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Modelling s-process chemical clocks: insights from high-precision Kepler data
G. Casali and M. Molero
We present
Galactic chemical
evolution (GCE) models for the chemical clocks [Zr/Ti] and [Ce/Ti], tracing first- and second-peak s-process nucleosynthesis, and compare them with a high-precision sample of 68 Kepler red
giant stars with asteroseismic ages from individual-mode frequencies and high-resolution spectroscopy. Using a multi-zone GCE framework, we explore variations in
metallicity-dependent asymptotic
giant branch (AGB) nucleosynthetic yields, including proposed enhancements to high-
metallicity Ce production. Our baseline model reproduces [Zr/Ti] and the high-$\alpha$ sequence in both age and
metallicity space, but systematically underestimates [Ce/Ti] at young ages and intermediate
metallicities, indicating a persistent deficit in second-peak s-process enrichment over the last $\sim6$ Gyr of
Galactic disc
evolution. Increasing second-peak yields from high-
metallicity AGB
stars only partially reduces this discrepancy, suggesting that simple yield rescaling is insufficient and more fundamental revisions to s-process nucleosynthesis at high
metallicity, alongside a self-consistent treatment of
stellar dynamics, may be required. In fact, models reproduce abundance trends more tightly in
metallicity than in age space, with additional age scatter partly attributed to radial migration. This Letter highlights the diagnostic power of precise asteroseismic ages for GCE studies and the limitations of current models in capturing the complex interplay between s-process nucleosynthesis and
stellar dynamics.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Impact of Upstream Clumpiness on Supernova Remnant Forward Shock Evolution in Molecular Cloud Environments
Kenta Tatsumi and Tsuyoshi Inoue
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are widely considered to be the primary accelerators of
Galactic cosmic rays. In recent years, detailed observations have significantly progressed for young SNRs interacting with molecular clouds, a
prime example being RX J1713.7-3946. When molecular clouds are clumpy, their impact can affect not only radiation properties but also shock wave propagation. Therefore, a quantitative understanding linking observational quantities with the ambient medium structure is highly required. In this study, we perform three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations to model a molecular cloud with an inhomogeneous density structure driven by supersonic
turbulence and subsequent SNR formation. To investigate various pre-
supernova environments, we systematically vary the medium clumpiness by replacing gas below a threshold number density with a low-density hot gas, quantifying the relationship between the forward shock velocity and the volume filling factor of the high-density clumps. As a result, we find that at an elapsed time of 1000 yr-a typical age for a young SNR-the forward shock can evolve consistently with the fast shock velocity measured in RX J1713.7-3946, provided that the clump volume filling factor is approximately 10% or less. Considering that hadronic gamma-ray emission originates exclusively from the clumpy, high-density gas, our findings suggest that the total energy of
cosmic-ray
protons in RX J1713.7-3946 is higher than previously estimated, amounting to at least a few percent of the typical
supernova explosion energy.
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Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Ejecta clumps revealed by study of reverse-shocked ejecta through MUSE integral field spectroscopy of SNR 0509-67.5
Priyam Das, Ivo Seitenzahl, J. Martin Laming et al. (+3 more)
We report the discovery of a spatially resolved clumpy ejecta structure in the reverse-shocked ejecta of SNR 0509-67.5, revealed through multiple faint and broad forbidden coronal emission lines in deep MUSE observations. We also identify two new broad coronal emission lines not reported before in this remnant, [Fe xi] 7894 A and [Fe x] 6374.5 A , which extend the set of previously reported [Fe xv] 7059.59 A, [Fe xiv] 5302.86 A , [Fe ix] 8236.55 A , [Ca xv] 5695 A, and [S xii] 7611.0 A. Near-continuous ionisation states of Fe allow us to follow the ionisation progression behind the reverse shock. We use a 1D analytical model to evolve Fe charge states following reverse shock interaction to compare with observations, indicating the need for preshock clumping or over-density in order to reproduce the observed surface brightness of the [Fe xiv] line. Additionally, we report the spatially resolved distribution of ejecta clumps and show that reverse-shock interaction drives their compression and fragmentation. We also find a clear trend of decreasing velocity width with increasing Fe ionisation state, from the broadest [Fe ix] emission to the narrowest [Fe xv], with intermediate-ionisation species ([Fe x], [Fe xi], [Fe xiv]) showing intermediate widths. Finally, we compare our observations to a dynamically driven double-degenerate double detonation (D6) 3D remnant model at similar Fe and S ionisation states and conclude that the observed clumps are predominantly due to Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities.
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All authors Priyam Das, Ivo Seitenzahl, J. Martin Laming, Gilles Ferrand, Simon J. Murphy, Ashley Ruiter
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Cross-listed from nucl-th
Generative artificial intelligence for reconstructing neutron-star matter
Julia Yu. Panteleeva, Herzallah Alharazin and Evgeny Epelbaum
Neutron-
star cores hold the only known matter in the universe that is simultaneously cold and strongly interacting, compressed beyond
nuclear density into a state of unknown composition. The equation of state links
stellar masses, radii and
tidal deformabilities to this regime, but recovering this key quantity from sparse observations is an ill-posed inverse problem. Existing analyses bury a prior in a fixed functional form, unevenly weighting admissible solutions and biasing the result. We reconstruct the equation of state with a denoising
diffusion model that keeps prior, physics and data separate: it learns an inspectable, physically motivated prior anchored to first-principles
nuclear theory, while perturbative-QCD and astrophysical constraints are imposed exactly. Future measurements therefore will update the posterior by reweighting alone, without retraining or resampling. The inferred radius of 12.6 km and
tidal deformability of 469 at 1.4
solar masses reproduce Gaussian-process and heavy-ion-informed inferences despite a far broader prior. We find near-conformal but still stiff matter in the heaviest
stars, consistent with a gradual
hadron-
quark crossover and disfavouring a strong first-order phase transition. More broadly, coupling a learned prior to exactly enforced physics establishes a template for ill-posed inverse problems where theory and data constrain different regions.
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Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
EON-SII: Design of a transportable picosecond stellar intensity interferometer for compact-star astrophysics
Thomas Schweizer, Josef Eder, Jürgen Besenrieder et al. (+5 more)
Stellar intensity interferometry (SII) measures correlations in
photon-arrival fluctuations recorded by
telescopes observing bright celestial sources. It can resolve angular scales far smaller than those accessible to a single optical
telescope and is largely insensitive to atmospheric
turbulence. After the first demonstration of SII on Sirius in 1956, Hanbury Brown and Twiss used the technique to measure the diameters of 32
stars. More recently, VERITAS, MAGIC, H.E.S.S., and CTAO's LST-1 have revived the method, although observations remain restricted to bright targets because of their optical design, optimized for gamma-ray astrophysics, rather than SII. We present EON-SII, the design and performance of a two-
telescope intensity interferometer intended to extend the SII technique to compact targets at magnitudes of about V=8.5 up to V=10.7. Each transportable
telescope has a 4-m diameter mirror, approximately 9m2 collecting area, an actively aligned 18-panel primary mirror, and Cassegrain optics specified to concentrate at least 90% of the light within 3 arcsec. A fibre-free spectrograph covers 400-550 nm at R~7000-8000 and is designed to provide of order 1000 statistically independent spectral channels.
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All authors Thomas Schweizer, Josef Eder, Jürgen Besenrieder, Razmik Mirzoyan, Carina Haider, Olaf Reimann, Derek Strom, Roland Walter
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Ashwathi Nair and Simon Stevenson
The high total mass of GW190425 challenges our understanding of double
neutron star (DNS) formation, as no such heavy ($\ge 3$\, M$_\odot$) DNS system has been observed in the Milky Way disk. Numerous formation scenarios have been proposed to explain its formation. We test these within a self-consistent binary
evolution framework calibrated to the
Galactic DNS population. In Paper~I of this series, we studied the
evolution of a $1.4$\,M$_\odot$
neutron star (NS) in a binary with a $2.5$–$10$\,M$_\odot$ helium
star at
solar metallicity ($Z = Z_\odot$), assuming Eddington-limited
accretion onto the NS using MESA. In this paper, we consider the
evolution of NS-He
star binaries with a broad range of NS masses from $1.1$–$1.9$\,M$_\odot$ at $Z=Z_\odot$, 0.1\,$Z_\odot$ and 0.01\,$Z_\odot$. We find that the formation of heavy DNSs is rare, accounting for only $\sim 0.5$ per cent of DNSs. The majority of these are formed through the `standard formation' channel, widely believed to form GW170817 and observed
Galactic DNSs. We find no contribution through the `fast-merger' channel at
solar metallicity, but systems at low
metallicity predominantly form through unstable mass transfer. Furthermore, we find no significant dependence of the heavy DNS formation fraction on
metallicity over the range considered here. We conclude that heavy DNSs do not form a separate subpopulation and merely represent the high-mass tail of the standard DNS population.
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High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Density-induced dark-baryon conversion in $\Delta-$admixed hypernuclear neutron stars
Niyar Prabhat Kalita, Vivek Baruah Thapa, Bhanu Prakash Pant et al. (+2 more)
We investigate density-induced conversion of
neutrons into a neutral dark
baryon $\chi$ in cold, charge-neutral, $\beta$-equilibrated
neutron-
star matter containing hyperons and all $\Delta(1232)$ quartet. The hadronic sector is modeled within a density-dependent covariant density-functional framework using the DDME2 parametrization. A scalar
Higgs portal is included as a possible interaction channel between the visible and dark sectors, although its mean-field contribution is negligible for the couplings adopted here. Unlike fixed dark-matter admixture models or scenarios in which nucleon-to-DM conversion is driven by
Higgs exchange, the $\chi$ abundance is determined self-consistently from chemical
equilibrium and
baryon-number conservation. We find that hyperons and $\Delta$ resonances alter the
neutron chemical potential, delay the onset of $\chi$, and suppress its abundance relative to nucleonic matter. This competition induces characteristic changes in the equation of state, particle fractions, sound speed, and adiabatic index. For $m_\chi=1250$, $1300$, and $1400$ MeV, the maximum masses of the complete $N+Y+\Delta+\chi$ configurations are $1.806$, $1.899$, and $2.024,M_\odot$, respectively, indicating that the massive-
pulsar constraint disfavors the lighter dark-
baryon benchmarks. The radial profiles further show that for $m_\chi=1400$ MeV, $\chi$ is confined to the inner core of the most massive
stars, while canonical configurations remain essentially unaffected. Thus, the
stellar modifications arise primarily from conversion-induced rearrangement of the
equilibrium composition rather than from
Higgs-mediated interactions. These results highlight the importance of treating conventional non-nucleonic degrees of freedom and density-generated dark
baryons on an equal footing when assessing the astrophysical viability of dark-sector extensions of dense matter.
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All authors Niyar Prabhat Kalita, Vivek Baruah Thapa, Bhanu Prakash Pant, Anil Kumar, Partha Konar
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Cross-listed from hep-ph
Seeding baryonic dark matter
Domenec Espriu
It has been proposed that
primordial quark pellets or PQPs –ultra-dense
quark-matter mini-
stars– formed at $T\sim 1$ GeV may be a good candidate accounting for the dark matter of the universe. If correct, dark matter would consist of very compact objects with a maximum mass of $10^{-2} \ M_\odot$ and radii of approximately 100 m, although smaller objects would be much more abundant and encompass the bulk of the dark matter content. Here we describe a viable formation mechanism based on the enhancement of the local
baryon density when supra-horizon Peccei-Quinn domain walls formed at an earlier epoch sweep and accumulate
quarks and
gluons before entering the horizon. Assuming an efficient
baryon concentration by contracting Peccei-Quinn domain walls, we derive the resulting
primordial quark pellet mass spectrum, minimum mass and cosmological abundance.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Discovery of an Eccentric Hot Super-Jupiter Leaving the Transiting Geometry of the Early-A-type star TOI-1355
Noriharu Watanabe, Norio Narita, Akihiko Fukui et al. (+20 more)
Hot Jupiters orbiting hot
stars ($T_\mathrm{eff} > 7000$ K) are suggested to have experienced high-eccentricity migration, often evidenced by the tendency for misaligned orbits, despite their circular orbits. In this paper, we present the discovery of TOI-1355 b: an eccentric ($e\sim0.22$) hot Jupiter with a mass of $m_{\mathrm{p}}\sim5.8M_J$ and a radius of $R_{\mathrm{p}}\sim 1.4R_J$ orbiting an A-type
star with a period of about $2.17$ days, identified from the TESS transit survey and subsequent follow-up observations. We measured the
stellar parameters using the data from the high-resolution spectrograph Seimei/GAOES-RV and obtained the planetary parameters from the photometric data acquired by TESS and ground-based
telescopes. This is one of the rare eccentric hot Jupiters around hot
stars. This system could be undergoing high-eccentricity migration. We detected nodal precession by measuring the change in its impact parameter. This implies that its transit will no longer be observable from the middle of 2033. Nevertheless, TOI-1355 b is anticipated to be a compelling target for future atmospheric observations, given the hint of atmospheric variability detected in this study.
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All authors Noriharu Watanabe, Norio Narita, Akihiko Fukui, Bun'ei Sato, Keisuke Isogai, John H. Livingston, Jerome P. de Leon, Daniel Huber, Yugo Kawai, Yuya Hayashi, Masashi Omiya, Hideyuki Izumiura, Akito Tajitsu, Keivan G. Stassun, Eric Girardin, Giuseppe Marino, Antonio Frasca, Giovanni Catanzaro, Javier Alonso-Santiago, Manfred Raetz, Stephanie Striegel, Nobuhiko Kusakabe, Motohide Tamura
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Candidates for the most [$O_{III}$] $\lambda5007$-luminous planetary nebula in the Milky Way. I. Integrated light properties of NGC 6572, NGC 6884, and M 1-71
Azlizan A. Soemitro, Martin M. Roth, Jeremy R. Walsh et al. (+3 more)
The bright-end cutoff of the planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF) serves as an extragalactic standard candle. However, the physical properties of planetary nebulae (PNe) at the PNLF cutoff have been studied only in nearby
galaxies, where the PNe appear mostly as point sources.
Galactic PNLF is further poorly constrained, primarily due to uncertainties in
Galactic PN distances. Following a recent
Galactic PNLF survey based on
Gaia distances, we aim to characterise PN candidates at the
Galactic PNLF cutoff. We observed three PN candidates at the
Galactic PNLF cutoff using the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer (PMAS). We determined their chemical abundances and constructed photoionisation models to derive the central
star luminosity (L) and effective temperature (Teff). We constrained the central
star masses and most likely distances consistent with the prediction of
stellar evolution models. Using these distances, we determined the absolute magnitude M5007. PNe of our sample are located within the top 1 mag of the
Galactic PNLF (-4.20 < M5007 <-3.60), with similar nebular properties and a narrow progenitor mass range (1.30-1.75 Msolar). The measured extinction is mostly dominated by the foreground
Galactic extinction. The trend between the circum-nebular extinction and central
star mass of our PNe is in agreement with those derived in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and M31. All PNe in our sample exhibit weak-emission line
star (wels) features in their spectra, but we confirmed that some of these lines originate from the nebula. The PNe are similar in terms of their nebular properties and evolutionary stage. Their characteristics are also consistent with the most [OIII]5007-luminous PNe in the LMC and M31. We demonstrate the importance of circum-nebular extinction and the initial-final mass relation (IFMR) to understand the universality of PNLF as a standard candle.
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All authors Azlizan A. Soemitro, Martin M. Roth, Jeremy R. Walsh, Ana Monreal-Ibero, Brigitte G. A. Pruijt, Nicholas Chornay
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Diffuse Dwarf Galaxies in Galaxy Clusters: I. Stellar Populations and Radial Gradients
Arsen Levitskiy, Duncan A. Forbes, Jonah S. Gannon et al. (+5 more)
We use Keck/KCWI spectroscopy to study one ultra-diffuse
galaxy (UDG) and five Nearly-UDGs (NUDGEs) in the Perseus cluster, together with an additional UDG in the Coma cluster. As the first paper in a series, we focus on the global and radial
stellar population properties of our sample. We find that these
galaxies host intermediate-to old
stellar populations, with typical ages of ~7 Gyr, low
metallicities ([M/H]$\simeq$ -0.9 dex), and enhanced [Mg/Fe] abundances (~0.3 dex), consistent with previous studies. Six
galaxies lie within the scatter of the present-day mass-
metallicity relation (MZR), whereas the Coma UDG (DF11) is more consistent with the MZR of high-z
galaxies (z ~ 2). We find no strong correlation between global
stellar population properties and cluster infall parameters, suggesting that any environmental impact is not easily traceable through integrated
stellar populations. We go one step further and measure radial gradients for three
galaxies. Two show flat age and mildly negative
metallicity gradients, similar to classical
dwarfs, while one shows a rising
metallicity profile as recently found in other UDGs. Comparing with classical
dwarfs, we find a continuous correlation between
metallicity gradient and globular cluster (GC) richness, where more GC-rich systems tend to show rising profiles. We propose that preferential
tidal disruption of GCs in the inner regions of
galaxies naturally produces rising
metallicity profiles, unlike GC-poor classical
dwarfs. This mechanism, potentially coupled with strong
stellar feedback from early concentrated
star formation, may explain the unusual rising
metallicity profiles observed in GC-rich UDGs/NUDGEs.
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All authors Arsen Levitskiy, Duncan A. Forbes, Jonah S. Gannon, Yimeng Tang, Anna Ferré-Mateu, Aaron J. Romanowsky, Jean P. Brodie, Warrick J. Couch
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
The Roman Coronagraph Community Participation Program: calibration strategy for the Mueller matrix using on-sky sources
Toshiyuki Mizuki, Justin Hom, Bertrand Mennesson et al. (+14 more)
The Nancy Grace Roman Space
Telescope Coronagraph Instrument will provide space-based polarimetric observations of circumstellar disks and exoplanetary systems. Accurate reconstruction of the linear polarization fraction requires calibration of the instrumental Mueller
matrix using polarized and weakly polarized standard
stars. We constructed a candidate catalog by combining published optical polarimetry with
Gaia DR3 astrometry and photometry and selected separate samples for coronagraphic calibration observations and observations using a neutral-density filter. Precursor $VRI$-band polarimetry of 18 faint candidates was obtained with HONIR on the 1.5-m Kanata
telescope. The wavelength dependence of their normalized Stokes parameters was modeled using the Serkowski law to predict their polarization properties in \cgi\ Bands~1 and 4, and 2 sets of 3 calibrators were selected for the 2 calibration scenarios. We then estimated the achievable LPF reconstruction accuracy using Monte Carlo simulations that include uncertainties in the calibrator polarization properties, photometric noise, and residual detector-response errors. A dithered observing configuration was also simulated to reduce differential detector-response errors among the calibrators. The current estimates indicate LPF reconstruction errors at the few-percentage-point level, with a small bias arising from treating a weakly polarized calibrator as unpolarized. Finally, we present progress toward an end-to-end test using corgisim and corgiDRP, including successful processing of simulated
datasets from Level~1 through Level~2b.
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All authors Toshiyuki Mizuki, Justin Hom, Bertrand Mennesson, Ramya M. Anche, Maxwell A. Millar-Blanchaer, Vanessa P. Bailey, Koji Kawabata, Mitsuhiko Takeuchi, Motohide Tamura, Naoshi Murakami, John Livingston, Jason J. Wang, Schuyler G. Wolff, Guillermo Gonzalez, Eric Shen, Tsutsumi Nagai, Taichi Uyama
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
The Roman Coronagraph Community Participation Program: early calibration plan and pilot observation of a companion
Julien H. Girard, Eric Cady, Neil T. Zimmerman et al. (+42 more)
Roman is set to launch in weeks! The Coronagraph Instrument - technology pathfinder for future direct imaging missions - is ready to fly too. According to predictions, laboratory tests and high fidelity simulations, it will open a new contrast regime enabling the imaging of mature,
giant planets in visible reflected light. The Community Participation Program is responsible for preparing a comprehensive observing program with associated data processing software and calibrations. We give a brief update about the on-going "baseline" calibration plan for the first months. Additionally, we describe a pilot program aiming for the
stellar companion HD 29992 B at moderate ~1e-5 to ~1e-6 Band 1 (575 nm) contrast, to be carried out as soon as the instrument is operational. The idea is to generate a canonical data set with a self luminous companion that is easily recoverable. This functional checkout will be precious to best prepare our community, exercise our calibration plan and suite of tools.
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All authors Julien H. Girard, Eric Cady, Neil T. Zimmerman, Clarissa R. Do Ó, Jingwen Zhang, Guillermo Gonzalez, Bijan Nemati, Vanessa P. Bailey, Alexis Lau, Sophie Noiret, John Krist, Julia Milton, Marie Ygouf, Ramya M. Anche, Schuyler Wolff, Justin Hom, Amanda Chavez, Jason J. Wang, Maxwell A. Millar-Blanchaer, Jessica Gersh-Range, Matthias Samland, Macarena Vega-Pallauta, Wolfgang Brandner, Toshiyuki Mizuki, Masayuki Kuzuhara, Susan Redmond, Kevin Ludwick, Jaren N. Ashcraft, William O. Balmer, Rusland Belikov, Beth Biller, Sarah Blunt, Ellis Bogat, Oscar Carrión-González, Gael Chauvin, Alexandra Z. Greenbaum, Sebastiaan Haffert, Jim Ingalls, Brian Kern, Bertrand Mennesson, Laurent Pueyo, Dmitry Savransky, Dan Sirbu, Peter Williams, Chen Xie
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Cross-listed from physics.plasm-ph
The FLARE Facility
Hantao Ji, Jongsoo Yoo, Peiyun Shi et al. (+53 more)
The Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments (
FLARE) has been constructed to study
magnetic reconnection in multiple X-line regimes relevant to space, astrophysical, and fusion
plasmas. Building upon the successful design of the
Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX),
FLARE features a larger physical volume, stronger
magnetic fields, and an independent ohmic heating drive to significantly extend the accessible parameter space, targeting Lundquist numbers up to S ~ 10^5 and normalized system sizes up to \lambda ~ 10^3. This paper details the facility's core engineering components, including the primary
vacuum vessel, internal flux cores, highly segmented external coil systems, modular capacitor banks, and the safety interlock and control architecture. An initial diagnostic suite is presented, comprising high-resolution 2D
magnetic probe arrays, triple Langmuir probes, a fully fiber-coupled interferometer, ion Doppler spectroscopy, and fast camera imaging. Initial operations demonstrate the device's experimental flexibility and reliability, successfully executing symmetric push-pull reconnection, spheromak merging, and asymmetric downstream configurations. Currently operating within "Stage 2.5" with S ~ 2,500 and \lambda ~ 60 for anti-parallel reconnection,
FLARE provides immediate access to the multiple X-line regimes. Planned hardware upgrades, advanced diagnostic additions, and integration with fully kinetic simulations will further expand its capabilities as it transitions into a collaborative user facility for the broader
plasma science community.
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All authors Hantao Ji, Jongsoo Yoo, Peiyun Shi, Euichan Jung, Kush Maheshwari, Adam Robbins, Sunghyun Son, Adam Stanier, Yang Ren, Sayak Bose, Dylan Corl, Keith Corrigan, Robert Cutler, William Daughton, Robert Ellis, Geoffrey Gettelfinger, Ronald Hatcher, Philip Heitzenroeder, Frank Hoffmann, Jonathan Jara-Almonte, Michael Kalish, Thomas Kozub, Enrique Merino, Weiguo Que, Benjamin Smith, John Wallace, Xin Zhao, Sofia Avrutsky, Neal Crocker, Seth Dorfman, Yuka Doke, Corina Dunn, William Fox, Boting Li, Xiaocan Li, Clayton Myers, Shohgo Okazaki, Joshua Pawlak, Tongnyeol Rhee, Byonghoon Seo, Taiju Suzuki, Yang Zhang, Stuart Bale, Amitava Bhattacharjee, Troy Carter, Chuanfei Dong, James Drake, Jan Egedal, Erik Gilson, Michiaki Inomoto, Jonathan Menard, Yasushi Ono, Stewart Prager, John Sarff, Hiroshi Tanabe, Masaaki Yamada
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Sudden emergence of a low-frequency hard X-ray lag in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 1044
Jia-Lai Kang and Jun-Xian Wang
Hard X-ray lags, where low frequency variations in the hard X-ray band lag behind those in the soft band, have been detected in many active
galactic nuclei (AGNs) and are generally attributed to the inward propagation of
accretion-flow fluctuations through an extended corona. In a long XMM-Newton observation of the Seyfert 1
galaxy Mrk 1044, we found a remarkable transition in the lag behavior within a single exposure, while the X-ray flux and spectral shape remained largely unchanged. During the first 60 ks, no significant hard X-ray lag was detected, whereas in the subsequent 60 ks, a pronounced lag emerged. The lag was so prominent that a large-amplitude flux variation event during the lag-detected interval, characterized by a gradual dimming followed by recovery, produced a remarkable clockwise loop in the flux-softness diagram. The sudden appearance of the hard X-ray lag suggests that the X-ray corona underwent a rapid transition from a compact to an extended configuration. This scenario is further supported by two independent observational signatures: (1) the variability became noticeably smoother, with a redder power spectral density (PSD), during the lag-detected interval, and (2) the broad Fe K$\alpha$ line profile became narrower and the reflection continuum weaker. These findings highlight the diagnostic power of tracking rapid changes in hard X-ray lags for probing the physical structure and
evolution of AGN coronae, and demonstrate that identifying prominent loops in the flux-softness diagram provides an effective way to locate intervals with significant hard X-ray lags.
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Astrophysics of Galaxies
The VariableTNG project: how baryonic mechanisms shape galaxy properties
Kexin Liu, Hong Guo, Luis C. Ho et al. (+3 more)
We use 50 Sobol-sampled VariableTNG simulations, varying eight subgrid parameters at fixed cosmology and initial conditions, to determine which baryonic processes regulate
galaxies and black holes at $z=6$ and $z=8$. We compare the simulations with recent high-
redshift measurements of the
stellar mass function,
star-forming main sequence,
stellar and gas-phase mass-
metallicity relations,
stellar mass-size relation, and black-hole host and
accretion properties. The simulations reproduce several broad trends in these observables, although differences remain in gas-phase
metallicity,
galaxy size, and the most extreme black-hole populations. Given the substantial uncertainties in both the physical modelling and the observational inference of high-
redshift galaxy properties, we regard these differences as diagnostic tensions rather than definitive model failures. Random-forest analyses reveal a clear hierarchy in parameter sensitivity. The abundance of low-mass
galaxies is regulated primarily by
stellar feedback, particularly the
supernova temperature $T_{\mathrm{SN}}$ and thermal wind fraction $\tau_{\mathrm{w}}$, whereas the sensitivity of the scatter in the
star-forming main sequence is weaker and
redshift dependent. The high-
accretion tail of black-hole growth depends on black-hole seeding and feedback parameters, but also on $T_{\mathrm{SN}}$, suggesting that
stellar feedback indirectly regulates rapid black-hole growth through its impact on the available gas supply. Although
cosmic variance can obscure these intrinsic responses in independent small volumes, our controlled experiment identifies
stellar feedback as a common physical link between early low-mass
galaxy formation and rapid black-hole growth.
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All authors Kexin Liu, Hong Guo, Luis C. Ho, Tao Wang, Yikai Liu, Volker Springel
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
The Roman Coronagraph Community Participation Program: corgisim - a simulation suite for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument
Jingwen Zhang, Sophie Noiret, Maxwell A. Millar Blanchaer et al. (+14 more)
NASA's Roman Space
Telescope will feature a pathfinder Coronagraph Instrument to demonstrate advanced high-contrast imaging from space, paving the way for future missions like the Habitable Worlds Observatory. The Coronagraph Instrument could obtain imaging, polarimetry and spectroscopy of Jupiter analogs in reflected visible light for the first time. We present the development of an open-source simulation package “corgisim” as part of the Roman Coronagraph Community Participate Program. Built on established optical propagation libraries including PROPER and CGISim, corgisim provides a user-friendly, publicly available Python framework for end-to-end simulations of the Coronagraph Instrument observations. The package produces high-fidelity, format-compliant data for pre-launch calibration, pipeline testing, and community applications such as target selection and observation planning. We will give an overview of corgisim's infrastructure, functionalities, and current implementation across planned imaging, polarimetry, and spectroscopy modes, including the ability to simulate host
stars, injected companions, and extended disks. We will also highlight suitable applications of corgisim and provide guidance on how users can access and employ the software.
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All authors Jingwen Zhang, Sophie Noiret, Maxwell A. Millar Blanchaer, Jason Wang, Alexis Lau, Neil Zimmerman, Jessica Gersh-Range, Eric Shen, Kevin Ludwick, Taichi Uyama, Chen Xie, Vanessa P. Bailey, John Krist, Elodie Choquet, Julien Girard, Alexis Bidot, Arthur Vigan
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
AT 2020afjz (TSS2020a): The First Fast Extragalactic Transient Discovered by TESS
Ryan Ridden-Harper, Hugh Roxburgh, Clarinda Montilla et al. (+13 more)
We report the discovery of AT 2020afjz (TSS2020a): the first hour-scale extragalactic transient discovered in optical wavelengths whose complete
evolution – from explosion onset to decay – is temporally resolved, and the first such transient discovered by TESS. AT 2020afjz was identified as a $>10\sigma$ detection in the pilot HiLaTS program run within the TESSELLATE Sky Survey, which blindly searches for transient phenomena in TESS data with the TESSELLATE pipeline. Through cross-matching with legacy imaging, we associate it with DES J042144.37$-$383311.3, a member of an interacting
galaxy pair at $z_{\rm phot}=0.67^{+0.07}_{-0.10}$. While AT 2020afjz is similar in duration and brightness to GRB afterglows, it exhibits a slow rise time of $\sim1$ hr and lasts for only 2.4 hr above the half-max brightness; modeling the TESS light curve with VegasAfterglow finds that it is best described as either an on-axis "dirty-fireball" or off-axis orphan afterglow. Each of these rare classifications hinge upon a non-detection at gamma-ray energies, but as
Fermi-GBM was Earth-occulted at the time of explosion, AT 2020afjz's gamma-quiet nature cannot be definitively confirmed. Regardless, AT 2020afjz demonstrates TESS's power to discover fast extragalactic transients, and heralds a new population awaiting discovery with TESSELLATE.
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All authors Ryan Ridden-Harper, Hugh Roxburgh, Clarinda Montilla, Lancia Hubley, James Freeburn, Brayden Leicester, Andrew Moore, Zachary G. Lane, Jaime Luisi, Koji Shukawa, Armin Rest, Jeff Cooke, Michele T. Bannister, Lilly Fox, Tait Keller, Qinan Wang
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Shin'ichirou Yoshida
A warm
neutron star is expected to have a fluid "ocean" of heavy elements at its outermost part of the outer crust. As is on the terrestrial ocean, the
neutron star ocean also has surface
gravity waves. Around a
magnetic pole of a
star, the ocean may have a dip due to the strong
magnetic pressure coming into play in the hydrostatic balance of the ocean. The dip enables the surface
gravity wave to be trapped around the
magnetic pole to form eigenmodes. The frequency of the mode is much lower than the dynamical frequency at the
stellar surface, owing to the weak Coriolis force and the gradient in the ocean's depth that makes the eigenmodes present. We solve the equation of surface
gravity waves in the local $\beta$-plane approximation and obtain the spectrum of discrete eigenmodes. We see that there are no axisymmetric modes and that the mode frequency decreases and asymptotes to zero as the number of nodes of the corresponding eigenfunction increases. This is reminiscent of the g-modes in the context of asteroseismology. Observations of X-ray binaries containing
neutron stars reveal that some of the systems exhibit low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) whose frequency is $1-10^3$mHz. We investigate whether the eigenmodes considered here may explain the low-frequency QPO spectrum. It is suggested that some of the QPOs in the system whose
neutron star spins at the period less than $10$s may be consistent with the model. As far as the
spin period is larger than $10$s, the eigenmode frequencies are too low to explain the observed QPOs.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
JWST-MIRI's multi-dimensional view of mass loss in the irradiated disks of NGC 1977
Alice S. Booth, Qijia Zhou, Jinyoung Serena Kim et al. (+10 more)
The
evolution of protoplanetary disks, and consequently the outcomes of
planet formation, are thought to be significantly altered in regions containing massive
stars. Extreme cases in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) demonstrate the impact of external irradiation (FUV$\gtrsim10^{4}$ G$_{0}$) on disk
evolution, but intermediate environments remain less observationally constrained. We present JWST/MIRI Medium Resolution Spectroscopy (MRS) observations of seven proplyds in NGC 1977 exposed to an external FUV field of $10^{3}-10^{5}$ G$_{0}$ from the B1V
star 42 Orionis (42 Ori). We characterize emission from molecular (H$_{2}$) and atomic (e.g., [Ne II], [Ar II], HI) species, and in some cases, MIRI reveals extended emission tracing the proplyd ionization front and wind. The closest disk to 42 Ori, KCFF#1, is undergoing extreme mass loss, traced by a 1000s-of-au-long dusty tail, and lacks clear H$_{2}$ or HI emission, indicating an advanced stage of dispersal. The remaining six disks exhibit two-temperature components of H$_{2}$ emission (500–700 K and 1000–1500 K), likely tracing the disk molecular layer and a photoevaporative wind, alongside HI lines which are used to estimate mass
accretion rates. When comparing KCFF#2 and #6, which have similar host
stars, KCFF#2 (closer to 42 Ori) is dominated by externally driven mass loss, with extended molecular and atomic emission, whereas KCFF#6 only shows extended H$_{2}$ emission, with roughly equal contributions from
accretion and external mass loss. While the sample is small, this work demonstrates how JWST/MIRI can assess environmental impacts on disk
evolution, with NGC 1977 bridging strongly irradiated disks in the ONC and the more local population.
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All authors Alice S. Booth, Qijia Zhou, Jinyoung Serena Kim, Karin Öberg, Jenny Calahan, Klaus Pontoppidan, Thomas J. Haworth, Ilaria Pascucci, Ryan Boyden, Mayank Narang, Karina Maucó, Aditya M. Arabhavi, Nicholas Ballering